Customer Reviews

Prime Evil

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are some great stories in this collection, including "The Night Flyer" by Stephen King, which would later be released in Nightmares and Dreamscapes. The biggest surprise, however, is from David Morrell, best known for creating Rambo. His story, "Orange is for Anguish, Blue is for Insanity" is without a doubt my favorite horror story ever (and I've read more than my share of Poe, King, etc.) Why it is not included in other "Best Horror Stories" type books is beyond me. I highly recommend this book, or if you're really not interested, at least sit down with it in your bookstore and read "Orange." It's well worth the half hour investment.

This is a very good anthology and includes some real gems, such as Stephen King's The Night Flyer. My only criticism is that it could have taken a few more risks in order to give us some really experimental pieces. Overall, though...very well done.

And it is. More than anything, it is something felt. Something experienced. Winter's success with this anthology cannot be denied. That it is still in print after all this time is a true testament to that. The quality of work between the binds of this book is absolutely some of the best stuff in horror, all presented to you by the current masterminds. A rare superb collection.

I give this book one star just because of the writers it includes, and I give it a second star only for the stories by David Morrell and Peter Straub. Otherwise, this is without a doubt the worst collection of horror stories I have ever read. There is no consistant theme, not that there should be one, but a theme would have given Prime Evil at least something to separate it from all the other collections. The authors included, though famous and well respected, have seemingly selected from the bottom of the barrel. The Stephen King story, Night Flyers, is probably one of his worst and of the headliners, only Straub's The Juniper Tree had any value, and it is only a horror story by association, having no real place in a genre collection. As a whole, the book works better as a marketing campaign. Stories by Jack Cady, Thomas Tessier, and Charles Grant are amusing; otherwise - don't waste your time.